


Things You Never Knew

by Sir_Bedevere



Series: Modern AU [3]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, But really its about FEELINGS, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-10 14:21:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10439580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sir_Bedevere/pseuds/Sir_Bedevere
Summary: Stannis didn’t meet Davos’ eye as he spoke and Davos didn’t push it. Today was a hard day. Getting any admission out of Stannis was difficult; however garbled it might be, however irrelevant, you had to let it happen. Eventually, you might get to the actual problem.And today, the problem was that it had been twenty-five years to the day since Stannis had lost his parents to the car accident that had brought his world crashing down around his ears.





	

It died down, in the end. Beric Dondarrion had never really wanted to make a drama of his accident anyway and he was glad to settle out of court with Ned Stark and Stannis. All Beric had ever wanted, Davos knew, was to be treated fairly. Davos knew that because that had been all he had asked for, after he lost his fingers on the same factory floor. Being offered a job with Stannis had been a happy extra, one he couldn’t afford to turn down at the time, and one he was indeed glad years later that he had taken. Beric didn’t need that peace offering and he probably wouldn’t have taken it even if he had got a similar chance. Dondarrion had always had a kind of pride that Davos had never been troubled by. 

Anyway, it turned out that Beric was distracted as it was by little Ned’s teacher, Thoros Myr, or at least according to the gossip Marya got from Maege Mormont. That was a surprise; Davos hadn’t known either Beric or Thoros were gay, and he’d never got much of a vibe. Then again, he thought, people probably didn’t get much of a vibe from him either and besides, who was he to try and label anyone? Life went the way it went and that was it. In the end, whatever you decided to call it, it was all the same; people loved, people hated, people gave, people took. Davos only hoped he had given enough, he knew he’d loved as best he could. 

He fiddled with the volume on the radio, eyeing the traffic stretched out before him. He’d be late but he didn’t worry about calling ahead. Stannis wouldn’t have got home much before now and he liked his privacy, unwinding a little from the day before he had to face people again. 

It hadn’t been the best of days, and he’d need some time. One of the European deals had fallen through, a flimsy thing that had been no great loss to the company, but Robert didn’t seem to get that. He’d ranted, as usual and Stannis had listened, as usual, before young Renly had finally stepped in and soothed his oldest brother’s temper. He hadn’t done it out of any love for Stannis, or distress at his treatment; Renly was out for himself as much as anyone. He liked to be the one with the good news, the shiny marketing, ready to roll out, and somehow making it seem he was the knight in shining armour. Robert always fell for it.

The trill of the phone ringing caught Davos off guard and he fumbled with the hands free. It just kept ringing though, and he knew who it was before he’d even answered it. 

“Hello?”

“Daddy!”

“Hey, Stanny,” he said, the tightness in his chest loosening up. “How are you doing?”

“We made a tyre swing today! Shireen fell in the water.”

“I did not,” said a little distant voice, “I didn’t, Davos.”

“You did!”

“Stanny,” Davos chuckled, “put mum on the phone, will you?”

There was an audible scuffle on the other end of the line and shrieking, then Marya’s voice finally. She was laughing. 

“Hey, darling,” she said. “You ok? Stanny just wanted to call you.”

“I’m good,” Davos sighed, easing off the brakes as the traffic finally began to move. “Been a bit of a day.”

“Tell me.”

So he did, because she was his Marya and she always wanted to know. She’d never flinched away from the horror that was the Baratheon family and Davos was so very grateful for that. He didn’t know what he would do if she didn’t want to hear it.

“Well, that sucks,” was the official statement.

“It sure does,” Davos said. “How are you guys? Having fun?”

It was spring break, and Marya had taken Maric, Devon, Stannis, Steffon and Shireen to her parent’s house, as she and Davos usually did together. This stupid deal was the reason that Davos hadn’t been able to go this time, and he was trying not to feel bitter about it.

“We’re good. Did Matt get away alright?”

“Yeah, Dale called to say that he’d arrived. I’m trying to convince myself that Dale won’t let Allard lead him astray too much.”

“You worry too much,” Marya said. “They’re fishing. Even Allard would struggle to make trouble at a deserted lake.”

“You’re probably right.”

A beat of silence.

“Are you going to spend the evening with him?”

“Yeah. That alright?”

“It’s the anniversary today, right? It’s OK, darling, I wasn’t checking up on you.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too. Call me tomorrow?”

Marya’s voice was soft but far away, so far, and Davos felt tears suddenly pricking at his eyes. He wiped them away.

“I’ll call you. Kiss the kids for me.”

“I will. Talk to you tomorrow.”

Christ, he loved her so much.

**

Stannis met him at the door, beers in hand and tie loose around his neck. He pushed one of the bottles at Davos and hooked the door shut with his foot.

Dinner was waiting on the table, takeout from the Thai place a block away.

“Let’s eat,” Stannis said, by way of greeting, “I’m starving.”

It wasn’t like Stannis to exaggerate, and Davos slid into a chair, watching him carefully. He did look tired, dark circles under his eyes but that wasn’t so different to normal.

“Whatever you’re looking for, you’re not going to find it on my face.”

Stannis didn’t snap the words as such, but he was on the edge.

“Sorry. Did you get noodles?”

“Of course,” Stannis flipped open the lid of one of the containers with the spoon he was using to shovel rice onto his plate, “I’m not going to have a breakdown, Davos. At least not until after dinner.”

Davos snorted and picked up the noodles, eating straight from the box. Stannis didn’t like them, so it was all for him. Stannis raised a disapproving eyebrow but didn’t say a word, digging instead into his curry.

“Marya called,” Davos said, after a few moments of silence. “Sounds like they’re having fun.”

“Good,” Stannis looked up. “I owe her so much, for all she does for Shireen. I hope Marya knows I don’t forget that.”

“She knows,” Davos shrugged. “She likes having Shireen around. We never got round to a girl.”

It was an old conversation, rehashed so much over the years, but Stannis needed that constant reassurance in this in a way that he didn’t in most other parts of his life, and Davos was loath to withhold it from him. Shireen was the sun in Stannis’ sky, the moon that pulled his tides. If Davos could protect her for him, he would, and Marya was the only other person he would trust to do that. 

“Shireen is lucky to have both of you. I am lucky.”

Stannis didn’t meet Davos’ eye as he spoke and Davos didn’t push it. Today was a hard day. Getting any admission out of Stannis was difficult; however garbled it might be, however irrelevant, you had to let it happen. Eventually, you might get to the actual problem. 

And today, the problem was that it had been twenty-five years to the day since Stannis had lost his parents to the car accident that had brought his world crashing down around his ears. Seventeen-year-old Stannis had been college-bound to study biology and ecology, his true passions, before he was forced onto the path that would help him support his brother in the abrupt inheritance of Baratheon Motors Inc. By the time Davos had met him ten years later, there had been little left of that budding scientist, who had once collected beetles for study but never been able to bring himself to kill them. 

So on this day, every year, Stannis was mourning the parents he had loved but also, more importantly as every year passed, the death of  
that boy who had cared more for alternative energy than cars and figures.

Davos had imagined that boy so clearly that he felt like he was mourning him too.

A few beers later and not a lot of conversation to go with them, Davos found himself on the couch shoulder to shoulder with Stannis. Stannis had removed his tie and his belt, at least, and when he tentatively leaned into Davos, Davos was only too happy to lift his arm and take Stannis under it.

“CSI,” Stannis muttered.

Ah. So they weren’t going to be talking about it tonight. At least he knew the programme now.

By the end of the double episode, Davos had turned so his back was resting against the arm of the couch and Stannis was laid half on top of him. Criticising police procedural dramas was one of Stannis’ favourite things to do and he was relaxed, or at least as relaxed as he ever was. His hand fumbled for the remote and he switched off the TV, before reaching up to still Davos’ hand, which had been stroking through his hair.

“I’m going to bed,” he said, and his voice was so detached that Davos would have taken it for a dismissal if Stannis had not wrapped his fingers around his wrist and pulled him up behind him. The warmth of the beer in Davos’ stomach was pleasant rather than overwhelming, but he gladly flopped onto the bed when they got to the bedroom. The weight of the silence could be a heavier burden than he would ever admit to Stannis. 

Stannis wandered through to the bathroom, and he took so long in there that Davos must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew, Stannis was stretched out beside him, his hand flat against Davos’ heart.

“You okay?” Davos whispered.

“No.”

Then Stannis was kissing him, lips hard against his mouth. Davos could do little but open his mouth and let Stannis take what he wanted. It was always like this, when Stannis kissed him first. Stannis kissed like he was arguing, trying to beat his opponent into submission. Davos  
had often wondered if Stannis had ever kissed his ex-wife like that, or if it was reserved for Davos alone. If he had done this with Selyse, it was little wonder they had virtually stopped touching one another. There was nothing loving about Stannis when he was like this.

Stannis bit Davos’ lip, so hard Davos tasted his own blood, and he grunted. Stannis pulled away, brow furrowed, and touched a fingertip to Davos’ lip. It came away red.

“Sorry,” Stannis said. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Davos said, and he meant it. “Just, let me.”

He wiped away the blood and smiled, smoothing the anxiety from Stannis’ forehead with one hand and pulling his head down with the other. Stannis was often desperate for this, but Davos had never been, not with him. If no other part of what they did could be called loving, 

Davos had always been determined that he would kiss so Stannis got the message, if he wanted to. 

He kept his fingers curled in Stannis’ shirt front, anchoring him, and ran his other hand to rest on the back of Stannis’ neck. His hair was getting long, and Davos brushed through it with the stumps of his fingers. He pressed his lips first to Stannis’ cheek, his nose, his eyelids and finally to his mouth, so gentle that Stannis made a soft noise and tried to take control back, pushing back harder. Davos did not let him. He tightened his grip and rolled them over, so Stannis was flat on his back.

“It’s alright,” Davos repeated, brushing their noses together, “Let go.”

Stannis grunted and turned his head away, but he did not try to fight again. Davos stretched himself out, allowing his weight to press Stannis down, a deep pressure that he knew Stannis found comforting when he’d been having an especially bad day. He craved it, this contact, but he so rarely asked. 

“Davos-”

“I’m here.”

His head rested on Stannis’ chest and he shifted slightly until his ear was pressed to Stannis’ heart, and the frantic beat began to slow, as the tension began to seep from Stannis’ body and he hesitantly brought his arms up to hold Davos to him. His fingers traced Davos’ hairline, tentative as he always was with gentleness, and Davos finally pushed himself up so that he could kiss Stannis once more. This time, he allowed Davos the lead with no resistance, only a willingness to open his mouth when Davos’ tongue demanded entry. He could kiss properly, once he was reminded of it, and Davos never tired of re-teaching him. 

“Are you okay?” Davos asked, pulling away when he couldn’t breathe anymore, his own blood starting to rush and heat with every moment he spent kissing Stannis. “Do you want to stop? We can just sleep.”

He desperately did not want to stop, and he was in doubt that Stannis could feel the evidence of that pressed against his thigh, but he had to offer. Stannis was quiet, even more quiet than he usually was, and Davos would be damned before he did something they both regretted in the morning.

“I’m-” Stannis closed his eyes, “Just – I don’t know.”

Davos cleared his throat and clambered to his knees, ready for it to end tonight. Stannis’ hand shot out and caught his wrist and, if Davos did not know him better, he would say that he whimpered.

“No, don’t go. I can’t - just don’t stop.”

It was close enough to begging that Davos wouldn’t have been able to leave now even if he wanted to, and instead he hauled his t-shirt over his head and flung it into the corner, undoing his pants and resolutely not pressing his hand to his aching cock. Instead he leaned back down and kissed Stannis’ neck, fingers on the buttons of his shirt slow as he undid them one by one. Stannis reached up and ran his own hands down Davos’ chest, combing through the curly hair that he found there and leaving trails of fire in the wake of his fingertips. Davos took revenge by pushing the shirt as far open as it would go and licking first one nipple and then the other. Stannis groaned and Davos felt a shift against his own leg, the push of an erection to thankfully match his own. 

He knelt back between Stannis’ legs and undid his pants, Stannis lifting his hips to allow him to pull them down enough to free his cock. Davos could not stop himself reaching out and taking it in hand, running a light fingertip over the very tip and getting another of those groans for his troubles. How he wished he could bottle Stannis when he was like this, soft and vulnerable and all his; his to soothe, his to hold, his to love and no one to come between them, no one to give Stannis anything except the love that he so deserved. 

“You’re beautiful,” Davos murmured, laying down besides Stannis and taking hold of his cock once more, his shortened fingers just fitting where they needed to go. He struck up a lazy rhythm, mouthing at Stannis’ chest, his own cock pressed against Stannis’ thigh where the friction was enough right now, definitely enough, and he couldn’t think of anything except the heat of Stannis’ cock in his hand and the heat of Stannis’ body pressed against him.

He ran his thumb over the leaking tip and back down, spreading the beads of fluid he found there, and cupped Stannis’ balls, squeezing them as they lay heavy in his hand. Stannis had gone quiet again but his breathing betrayed him, harsh and quick, his eyes pressed closed. When Davos returned to tease the slit once more, Stannis’ hips jerked up and his eyes snapped open.  
“Davos-”

“I’m here,” Davos whispered, pressing his lips to Stannis’ ear, burning hot like the rest of him, “I won’t leave you. I’m here.”

Stannis moaned low in his throat and jerked his hips again, but Davos did not speed up. Stannis got like this, when he was about to come; the insecurities that had been chased away with heated touches returned, the voice in his head that told him he was not worth this, he did not deserve anything he was given, and he should take it quick before it was snatched away from him. Sometimes Davos obliged him and sometimes he did not. This time, he pushed himself harder against Stannis’ thigh, giving him something tangible to feel, his hips working a lazy rhythm that he kept matching with his hand. 

Finally, finally, when Stannis’ hand was so tight in his hair that he thought he’d pull it out, Davos twisted his hand and Stannis gasped as he came. That sound was all it took for Davos to follow him, warm and sticky in the pants he hadn’t had time to remove, but he did not much care. Stannis turned his head and nuzzled against Davos’ face, gentle in a way that he was only ever gentle in these moments after his release. Davos lived for these moments.

He wiped his hand carefully on his already ruined pants and shuffled far enough away that he could toss his pants and underwear into the same corner as his t-shirt. Stannis turned half on his side to press against him, and Davos felt the unbearable weight of the day lift, just enough to breathe freely once again. 

Just enough.

“Will you stay tonight?”

The question was so quiet that Davos almost missed it. This was not an invitation that he received very often. Not to fall asleep with one another and wake up together. 

“Of course I’ll stay,” Davos mumbled, tugging the blanket up and fitting his forehead against Stannis’ collarbone. “Always. If you want me.”

“Need you,” Stannis whispered, his hand tightening at Davos’ hip.

“Then I’m here.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have a feeling that this might be the last thing I have to contribute to this fandom, definitely for now and maybe for quite a while all told. I haven't been around much these last few years but I'll be Stavos 4 Life :D 
> 
> Thanks to my forever love Vana for the speedy beta and endless encouragement in all my endeavors, not just Stavos ones :)


End file.
